Incredible tagged fish recaptures

Embraced by anglers right around Australia, the NSW DPI Game Fish Tagging Program is a source of amazing citizen science.

Every month or so, the good folk behind the scenes send out their Tag Times newsletter to keep us sport and game fishers abreast of the news.

The recapture highlights never fail to amaze. Fish travel epic distances, are caught many years later, usually of much greater size. It's all great for science and a win for fishing.

The number of fish tagged during 2015/16 exceeded 11,000 for the third year in a row while the number of reported recaptures was the highest in nine years.

Overall, 11,397 fish were tagged (nearly 400 more than the previous year) and 184 recaptured (39 more than the previous year).

Meantime, the 2016/17 tag year is shaping up to be no less interesting.

Here are some of the latest amazing fish recaptures from the biggest and best tagging program in the world!

SYDNEY TO BERMAGUI BLACK MARLIN
A black marlin released by Port Hacking GFC boat Cookie during the Sydney GFC 2016 Peter Goadby Memorial Tournament by a female angler has been recaptured off Bermagui, NSW.

Elly Offord released her first marlin on April 16, 2016, while trolling out to the fishing grounds. The estimated 50kg marlin was let go in excellent condition.

Victorian boat Reel Easy recaptured the black marlin 321 days after its original release, 181 nautical miles from its original release location off Bermagui.

It's worth noting that Elly has released five marlin since catching the game-fishing bug!

13 YEARS, THREE MONTHS AND ONE DAY FOR A MULLOWAY
A mulloway released on January 2, 2004, off Ardrossan (East Coast of Yorke Peninsula), SA, has recently been recaptured.

After 4840 days at liberty, the fish was caught on April 3, 2017, by a charter operator fishing in 30m of water off Point Margaret, SA (West Coast of Yorke Peninsula).

The mulloway was originally released by a GFC of South Australia member and was measured at 74cm and estimated at 3.5kg.

Upon recapture, the mulloway was measured at 140cm and about 30-35kg. This recapture eclipses the previous longest time at liberty for a mulloway tagged under the program.
                                  
FRASER ISLAND TO PORT STEPHENS
Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC boat Old Mate recaptured a tagged juvenile black marlin while fishing off the Gibber Reef, Port Stephens, in late March, 2017. The DPI database reveals that the marlin was originally released off Fraser Island, QLD.

Sunshine Coast GFC boat Pole Dancer tagged the fish on June 21, 2016, while chasing juvenile black marlin inshore. The small marlin grew from a tiny estimated 5kg to a chunky 30kg (100cm to 145cm lower jaw fork length) after spending 281 days at liberty and travelling about 469 nautical miles in a south-westerly direction.

The Old Mate crew recaptured two tagged black marlin and released a black marlin which went on to be recaptured — all in the past two seasons.

BERMAGUI STRIPED MARLIN
A striped marlin released by Greenvale S & GFC boat Happy Hour at the start of February, 2017, has recently been recaptured. Happy Hour released the estimated 100kg marlin while fishing off Bermagui after managing a few great photos.

Then, 62 days later on April 16, Jervis Bay GFC boat She’s Only 19 recaptured the marlin 9 nautical miles south-south west from the fish's original release location. The crew on She’s Only 19 let the striped marlin go once again and had an exceptional weekend going 5 marlin from 7 bites over the space of two days.

It’s worth noting that Happy Hour has released 76 billfish for the 2016/17 game fishing season, putting them in the running for a NSW DPI Top Taggers award.

SAMOAN SWIM
A black marlin released off Mooloolaba, QLD, on February 21, 2014, has recently been reported as recaptured by the American Samoa Observer Program.

Sunshine Coast GFC boat Reel Capture released the estimated 20kg marlin in excellent condition after a brief fight.

About 890 days later the marlin was recaptured off the coast of Samoa, 2250 nautical miles from its original release location. Unfortunately, the tag was not discovered until the fish had been processed and as a result no additional information was gathered.

This article was compiled with content from the NSW DPI Tagging Program. More information on this Game Fish Tagging page.